Wednesday 23 December 2020

A Time and a Place - Greg Lake

 With a change in the weather

much for the better on Sunday and no more than c2
noisy
LITTLE GREBEs
on home turf another, what is continuing to be a weekly, visit was paid to

Longham Lakes 

but not with Emerson, Lake and Palmer

Only the Usual Contenders across our couple of hours starting with this scruffy looking
GREY HERON
which must have had one almighty itch and sticking with the Herons on the Main Island both
LITTLE EGRET
along with c2
GREAT WHITE EGRETs
to maybe prove significant later in the day as what were considered to be c4 more were recorded?
Along with a collective from left
CANADA GEESE, GREY HERON and CORMORANT
before the familiar thunder of one of the
EURO-CARGO AIRBUSES
provided a completely different view of the daily 'side-on' we have become used to.
Wot's all that Blue Stuff?
LITTLE EGRET with inquisitive MOORHEN
Along the centre path, deviding the 2 lakes, we encountered the usual array of
POCHARD
GREAT CRESTED GREBE
DITTO PREENING
It may be of interest to freeze frame this clip right at the begining to note
the 'webbing' on the feet of these highly skilled hunters by comparison to the full
cover of most other waterfowl.
TUFTED DUCK
TUFTED DUCK with POCHARD
BLACK-HEADED GULL
and similar in strange streamline posture, but the tranquility was not to last for long.
A COOT among the POCHARD had surfaced with a beak-full of groceries which set off
the formerly lethargic
BLACK-HEADED GULL
Swooping in from Angels 12!
It was good to see that the
HAMPRESTON WATER MEADOWS
were back as nature had intended and where a total of 4
GREAT WHITE EGRET
were now stationed.
GWE Stalking
and it could just as easily have been that one of the Birds from the Island
had flown over to make up the 4 on the meadow
GWE with accompanying Cetti's Warbler
but surely too much of a coincidence that they were both in the same place on our return?
We are claiming c6 even though there was no record of such on the
Dorset Bird Club
website the following day.
Our wander ended on something of a
Tranquil Note
as the Model Yacht Brigade were out in Full Force.
Somewhat theraputic and of course in the knowledge that it would be me again to put a ship
AGROUND!